King Charles’ Close Bond with Princess Charlotte: ‘He Once Wanted a Daughter’ (Exclusive)

Princess Charlotte shares a particularly warm bond with her grandfather, King Charles.

Now 76, the King has been spending more time at Windsor Castle — close to where Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children live —and is often nearby.

“He once wanted a daughter,” royal author Ingrid Seward tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story. “I would think he has a very nice relationship with his granddaughter.”

That observation echoes something the late Princess Diana once revealed in Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton: that Charles had always longed for a daughter.

“I knew Harry was going to be a boy because I saw on the scan,” Diana said about the birth of Prince Harry, their second son. “Charles always wanted a girl. He wanted two children, and he wanted a girl.”

Charlotte’s arrival in 2015 brought immense joy to the royal family. As the only daughter of Prince William and Princess Kate, she’s quickly taken on a key role, impressing many — including her grandfather — with her poise and confidence.

The young princess’s innate grace in royal duties reflects the same sense of purpose Charles himself embodies. “She’s a natural and has taken to royal events like a duck to water,” a palace insider tells PEOPLE.

Beyond her expert curtsies and poised appearances, Charles has also been spotted wearing a friendship bracelet Charlotte likely made for him — a small but touching symbol of their personal bond.

Prince William and Princess Kate’s only daughter turned 10 on May 2, on the heels of a year that has tested the family like never before.

In March 2024, Princess Kate shared that she had been undergoing cancer treatment. King Charles’ cancer diagnosis was also announced that February and remains ongoing.

“It’s been incredibly tough for us as a family,” the Princess of Wales said in a video in September, announcing the end of her chemotherapy.

That video included glimpses of Princess Charlotte and her brothers, Prince George, 11, and Prince Louis, 7, laughing and playing in the sand dunes — symbols of the strength and stability the Waleses worked so hard to maintain.

Much of that normalcy comes from Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who remain deeply involved.

“The Middle­tons provide that stability,” says the palace insider.

Even as Princess Charlotte grows into her royal role, she is still a modern 10-year-old. She joined William and George at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in June 2024, where they met Swift and her NFL-star boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who later called Charlotte a “superstar.” She introduced the friendship-­bracelet craze embraced by Swifties to the royal household, prompting William, George and even her grandfather the King to wear handmade bands.

The Prince of Wales sported one labeled “Papa” during a royal trip to South Africa in November, and King Charles kept his on with his military uniform at the State Opening of Parliament in July.

There are thorny questions ahead for Charlotte and her parents as they navigate the complexities of her unique position as spare to George, the future heir. It’s a vulnerable place and one fraught with potential pitfalls that her uncle Harry, who also grew up as the spare, has made all too clear.

“The late Queen [Elizabeth] was always very conscious of that extraordinary and challenging role of the No. 2,” says royal biographer Robert Hardman, author of The Making of a King. “That’s why she had a particular soft spot for [her sister] Margaret, for [her son] Andrew and Harry. She understood being second place in a strictly hierarchical family and institution has its challenges. Everyone is conscious of that.”

Particularly William, adds Hardman, who regards one of his key responsibilities as not just “preparing to be King himself but to make the whole royal existence approachable and not scary for all his children.”

As William and Kate navigate the balance between royal duty and family life, the future of their children, especially Charlotte, remains a path of immense potential.